The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-07-02

that condition for considerable period
of that time. The first child was lit
tie, fretful creature, which cried night
and day for the tirstyea By accident
whisky was found to produce the most
perfect relief. From this time nothing
but some form of spirits would allay
the nervous irritation, and as he grew
older he would cry for it and refused to
be satisfied with any other fluid. At
| ten he drank beer regularly every night,
| and at fifteen he drank to great excess.
In appearance he was feeble and i'm
perfectly developed. His mind was I'M
certain and changeable. The taste and
effects of spirits gave him, he said, the
greatest pleasure. When he could not
get spirits he was deliriOus, and after
using two or three glasses he became
stupid and laughed at every thing until
he fell asleep. He was placed in the
care of physician, who tried to with
draw the use of spirits by reducing it
from day to day. After the spirits
were withdrawn he developed mania
and decisions of persecution, during
which he escaped from control and
drank to stupor. The mania disap-
peared. Again the effort to break up
the use of spirits was tried, but the
mania returned more violent than ever,
and the spirits were resumed and con-
tinued up to death, at twenty years of
age.
A man was placed in his care who
had occupied very responsible po-
sltion of trust, and who with an insane
Indifference had drank to great excess
and forfeited all honor and respect
| He was educated, and was man of
talent and great energy. He was tenn
perate up to forty years Of age, when
suddenly he drank to intoxication, and
he was seen on the streets shouting in
a delirious way. In two or three days
he became temperate, and seemed to
have no regrets or sorrow for the past.
He manifested no interest in the adj
vice and counsel of his friends, and
made no remarks of explanation nor
gave any reason for his conduct. Sew
eral months later he drank as before,
and returned to his work with the
same cool Indifference as to his con-
duct and its consequences. He was
forced to resign his position as officer
of bank, and gradually went down
lower, until brought to Dr. Crothers.
He drank periodically, the free interval
being from three to eighteen months,
the drink paroxysm lasting from three
to six days. During this paroxysm
he was maniacal and reeled up and
down the street or was seen in an open
carriage, always going where he was
most prominent and making public
speeches. He seemed possessed with
decisions of power and grandeur and
placed himself in the most prominent
| places, interpreting the attention he
received as evidence of his greatness.
When he recovered he seemed to have
paralysis of all conception of the
nature and character of his conduct.
On all other matters he was clear and
intelligent, but on this he was silent
and reserved. He recovered and went
to the far West to live on q cattle
ranch.
Investigation of this mans history
revealed the fact that his father, who
was q temperate, healthy planter,
married for the first time at forty.
Soon after he drank to great excess,
and was after this a periodical drinker
until his death ten years later. The
father was delirious during these
paroXysms and spen: his time on the
street and in prominent places preach
ing and lecturing in maudlin way.
When he recovered he was strangely
oblivious to any past conduct and did
not remember or believe he was in
toXicated. The later years of his life
he was very angry if talked to about
drinking, and would not listen to any
counsel or believe he drank to his in
jury. Referring to this case, DR..
Crothers says: "The remarkable SINH
larity of the symptoms of father and
son, coming at the same time of life
and following periodically, noted by
delusions of power and grandeur and
desire to appear prominent, and the
loss of consciousness of the past or it's
relation to the present in his own case,
seemed to indicate direct heredity.
IL